The mystery of Sri Lanka’s domestic leased line prices

This really should not be a mystery. In most countries in the region, the information is available for all to see on either the regulator’s website or on operators’ websites. Domestic leased lines are a key input, important both in terms of interconnection and in terms of providing Internet. There is no reason to keep the prices secret.

But they are not publicly available in Sri Lanka. Our custom in such circumstances is to publish the best available data and ask the parties who know (and who are embarrassed by the outrageous prices we show) to correct us. If they do not, we will assume the number we published is correct.

It shows that the price of a 2Mbps 2KM leased line connection is 16 times that of Bhutan. This is outrageous, given Bhutan’s difficult terrain and later liberalization.

This suggests that Internet charges should also be high in Sri Lanka. They are not, which is the mystery. Hope someone, hopefully the people at the Telecom Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka, will unravel the mystery.